Methods to operate autonomous vehicles to pilot vehicles in groups or convoys

A system compromising:

• one or more processors and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to one or more of the processors, the one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising instructions operable when executed by one or more of the processors to cause the system to perform operations comprising:
• accessing, by a central computing device, sensor data from one or more autonomous escort vehicles in a convoy moving along a route;
• detecting, by the central computing device, based on the sensor data, an environmental vehicle along or in proximity to the route of the convoy;
• determining, by the central computing device, based on the sensor data and movement of the convoy along the route, that the environmental vehicle should be prevented from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route;
• identifying, by the central computing device, a particular one of the autonomous escort vehicles that is available to modify its position to prevent the environmental vehicle from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route;
• generating, by the central computing device, instructions for the particular one of the autonomous escort vehicles to modify its position to prevent the environmental vehicle from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route;
• and
• causing, by the central computing device, the instructions to be communicated to and executed by the particular one of the autonomous escort vehicles to modify its position to prevent the environmental vehicle from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route.

One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

• accessing, by a central computing device, sensor data from one or more autonomous escort vehicles in a convoy moving along a route;
• detecting, by a central computing device, based on the sensor data, an environmental vehicle along or in proximity to the route of the convoy;
• determining, by the central computing device, based on the sensor data and movement of the convoy along the route, that the environmental vehicle should be prevented from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route;
• identifying, by the central computing device, a particular one of the autonomous escort vehicles that is available to modify its position to prevent the environmental vehicle from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route;
• generating, by the central computing device, instructions for the particular one of the autonomous escort vehicles to modify its position to prevent the environmental vehicle from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route;
• and
• causing, by the central device, the instructions to be communicated to and executed by the particular one of the autonomous escort vehicles to modify its position to prevent the environmental vehicle from interfering with the movement of the convoy along the route.